30 November 2016

ungulate

[uhng-gyuh-lit, -leyt]

adjective

1. having hoofs.
2. belonging or pertaining to the Ungulata, a former order of all hoofed mammals, now divided into the odd-toed perissodactyls and even-toed artiodactyls.
3. hooflike.
noun
4. a hoofed mammal.

Origin of ungulate

Late Latin

1795-1805; < Late Latin ungulātus having claws or hoofs. See ungula, -ate1

Related forms

interungulate, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for ungulate

Historical Examples

Their structure proclaims these two divisions to be of ancient descent, and not to be modern twigs of the ungulate stem.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard

The humerus resembles that of a Carnivore rather than that of an ungulate.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard

The existence of the three horns covered with unaltered skin is the main characteristic of this ungulate.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard

But this suggestion of an ungulate affinity can hardly be accepted.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard

The only skull of a fossil lemuroid which he described (namely, Adapis) he declared to be that of an ungulate.
The Last Link
Ernst Haeckel

An ungulate is essentially a running animal, and has no need of a grasping finger.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard

This species is the most conspicuous (and possibly the most abundant) ungulate in Harding County.
Mammals of Northwestern South Dakota
Kenneth W. Andersen

They are described as combining the head and claws of a bear with the teeth of a rodent and the general characters of an ungulate.
The Story of Evolution
Joseph McCabe

No one will deny that the Hipparion is intermediate between the existing horse and certain other ungulate forms.
On the Origin of Species
Charles Darwin

Quadrupeds he was the first to divide into ungulate and unguiculate, hoofed and clawed, having himself invented the Latin words.
Introduction to the Literature of Europe in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries, Vol. 2
Henry Hallam

Anagram

aunt glue
tune a lug

Today’s quote

Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.

– Oscar Wilde

On this day

30 November 1835 – birth of Mark Twain, U.S. novellist, author of ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ and ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’. Died 21 April 1910.

30 November 1874 – birth of U.K. Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. Died 24 January 1965.

30 November 1900 – death of Oscar Wilde, Irish writer and poet. Wilde wrote a number of plays, poems and epigrams. His only novel was ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’. His plays included ‘The Importance of Being Ernest’, and ‘Salome’. In addition to English, he was fluent in German and French. In 1895, Wilde was convicted of ‘gross indecency’ which related to some of his homosexual relationships. He received the maximum sentence of two years hard labour. On his release from prison in 1897, Wilde moved to Paris, living in exile and poverty. He died on 30 November 1900 from cerebral meningitis. He was buried at Cimetière de Bagneux, but in 1909 his remains were transferred to Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris. He was born on 16 October 1854.

30 November 1936 – Crystal Palace in Britain is destroyed by fire. The Crystal Palace had been constructed for the Great Exhibition in 1851 and featured the first public toilets in England. During the Exhibition, visitors were able to pay 1 penny to use the conveniences. It was from this that the term ‘spend a penny’ came into use as a euphemism for visiting the loo.

30 November 1950 – U.S. President Harry S. Truman announces that he is willing to use atomic bombs to bring peace to Korea.

30 November 1979 – Pink Floyd releases their cult album ‘The Wall’, which was later made into a movie and one of the greatest stage-shows of all time. The songs were written by Rogers Waters and Dave Gilmour. Roger Waters performed ‘The Wall’ stage-show with other celebrities on 21 July 1990 in Berlin, to celebrate the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.

30 November 2007 – death of U.S. daredevil, Evel Knievel from breathing difficulties. Knievel was best known for his failed attempt to jump over the Grand Canyon on a rocket-propelled motor-bike. He also successfully, and often unsuccessfully, attempted long distance motor-bike jumps, such as jumping 14 buses. Through his career, Knievel broke 35 bones. Born on 17 October 1938 as Robert Craig Knievel.

29 November 2016

roc

[rok]

noun, Arabian Mythology.

1. a bird of enormous size and strength.

Origin of roc

Persian, Arabic

1570-1580; < Arabic rukhkh, probably < Persian rukh; see rook2

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for roc

Contemporary Examples

Watch Jay-Z’s ” roc Boys (And The Winner Is)…” music video.
A Baby Boomer’s Guide to Jay-Z
Peter Lauria
November 13, 2010

roc Nation did not respond to multiple requests to confirm that they had signed the rapper to their label.
Politician Scores Rapper Endorsement, Prostitution Problems Follow
Ben Jacobs
June 11, 2014

A roc hester ( roc) passenger approached a ticket counter to check in and stated to the ticket agent that he had a bomb in his bag.
The TSA’s Insane Instagram Feed
Nina Strochlic
July 13, 2014

Anagram

orc

Today’s quote

The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.

– C. S. Lewis

On this day

29 November – International Day of Solidarity with Palestine.

29 November 1898 – birth of C.S. Lewis, Irish novellist, author of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and ‘The Screwtape Letters’. Died 22 November 1963.

29 November 1922 – Federal authorities are engaged to assist in the enforcement of prohibition laws in the United States.

29 November 1947 – the United Nations votes in favour of Resolution 181 for the partitioning of the land of Palestine in order to create both a Jewish state, named Israel, and an Arab state named Palestine. Arab nations refused to accept the resolution and the state of Palestine was not created, while the state of Israel was.

29 November 1948 – the first Holden car is manufactured in Australia by General Motors Holden Automotive (GMH). The first model is a Holden FX.

29 November 1963 – The Warren Commission is established to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. After 10 months, the Chief Justice Earl Warren hands down his findings that Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone in the assassination.

29 November 1986 – death of Cary Grant, born Archibald Alexander Leach, actor (‘North by Northwest‘, ‘To Catch a Thief‘, ‘An Affair to Remember‘, ‘Gunga Din‘). Born 18 January 1904.

29 November 2012 – The United Nations votes to recognise Palestine as a ‘non-member state’, implicitly acknowledging Palestinian statehood.

28 November 2016

Chapman stick

[chap muhn stik]

noun

1. an electronically amplified musical instrument with ten or twelve strings and a fretted neck, which is played by striking the strings against the frets with the fingers Often shortened to Stick

Word Origin

– named after its inventor, Emmett H. Chapman (born 1936), US guitarist
Collins English Dictionary –

Example

The busker was playing a Chapman stick.

Anagram

pitchman cask
catch an skimp
camp tin shack

Today’s quote

Fate is the endless chain of causation, whereby things are; the reason or formula by which the world goes on.

– Citium Zeno

On this day

28 November 1968 – death of Enid Blyton, British author of numerous series of children’s stories, including ‘Noddy‘, ‘Famous Five‘, and ‘Secret Seven‘. Born 11 August 1897.

28 November 1990 – UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher formally tenders her resignation following disendorsement by her Cabinet on 22 November 1990.

28 November 1994 – U.S. serial killer and cannibal, Jeffrey Dahmer, bashed to death while cleaning a prison toilet. Dahmer was serving 15 life sentences for the murder of 15 men and boys. He had initially faced 17 murder charges, but this had been reduced.

27 November 2016

Baader-Meinhof

[bahr-duh mahyn-hof]

noun

– otherwise known as frequency illusion, recency illusion or Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, occurs when one hears, sees or becomes aware of something for the first time and then sees that thing everywhere. It occurs because the brain gets stimulated by learning something new and sub-consciously seeks that thing out. As the thing is now noticed more than before, confirmation bias kicks in and one becomes convinced that they are seeing the thing more than before, even if it is only once or twice that they’ve noticed it.

Origin

Named after the West German terrorist group, the Baader-Meinhof gang, active in the 1970s. The St. Paul Minnesota Pioneer Press online commenting board was the unlikely source of the name. In 1994, a commenter dubbed the frequency illusion “the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon” after randomly hearing two references to Baader-Meinhof within 24 hours.

Source: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/baader-meinhof-phenomenon.htm

Example

I decided my new car would be a Nissan Micra and bada bing, bada boom, I experience Baader-Meinhof and see Micras everywhere.

Anagram

a bonehead firm
fine hem aboard
deem of Bahrain
hide barman foe

Today’s quote

I have been astonished that men could die martyrs for religion – I have shuddered at it. I shudder no more – I could be martyred for my religion – Love is my religion – I could die for that.

– John Keats

On this day

27 November 1940 – birth of Bruce Lee. (born as Lee Jun-fan), martial artist and actor. Died 20 July 1973.

27 November 1942 – birthday of Jimi Hendrix. American guitarist and singer-songwriter. Died 18 September 1970.

27 November 1975 – Ross McWhirter, co-founder of the Guinness Book of World Records, is shot dead outside his house in North London. Police suspect the Irish Republican Army (IRA) of the murder, as McWhirter had posted a £50,000 reward for information that lead to the arrest of IRA bombers.

27 November 1999 – Helen Clark is elected as New Zealand’s first female Prime Minister. She represented the centre-left of the Labour Party.

25 November 2016

affinal

[a-fahyn-l, uh-fahyn-l, af-ahyn-l]

adjective

1. related by or concerning marriage.

Origin of affinal

Latin

1600-1610; < Latin affin (is) a relative + -al1. See affinity

Dictionary.com

Example

They also took affinal prohibitions very seriously
Cousin Marriage
Wikipedia

Anagram

Fa final
fan fail

Today’s quote

Marriage is like a cage; one sees the birds outside desperate to get in, and those inside equally desperate to get out.

– Michel de Montaigne

On this day

25 November 1963 – funeral of assassinated President John F. Kennedy in Washington DC. Over 800,000 people lined the streets. He was interred at Arlington Cemetery.

25 November 1947 – The ‘Hollywood Ten’ are blacklisted for their allegiance with, or sympathy for the American Communist Party. They were cited for Contempt of Congress when they refused to testify to the House Committee on Unamerican Activities. The Hollywood Ten were unable to work in the movie industry again. The ten were Alvah Bessie, Herbert Biberman, Lester Cole, Edward Dmytryk, Ring Lardner Jr., John Howard Lawson, Albert Maltz, Samuel Ornitz, Adrian Scott and Dalton Trumbo.

23 November 2016

agnate

[ag-neyt]

noun

1. a relative whose connection is traceable exclusively through males.
2. any male relation on the father’s side.
adjective
3. related or akin through males or on the father’s side.
4. allied or akin.

Origin of agnate

Latin

1525-1535; < Latin agnātus paternal kinsman, variant of ad (g) nātus born to (past participle of adgnāscī), equivalent to ad- ad- + -gnā be born + -tus past participle suffix

Related forms

agnatic [ag-nat-ik], agnatical, adjective
agnatically, adverb
agnation [ag-ney-shuh n] (Show IPA), noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for agnate

Historical Examples

If there were no children, then the inheritance passed to the agnatic kindred, and in default of the latter, to the gentiles.
Ancient Society
Lewis Henry Morgan

agnatic inheritance would be apt to assert itself in this condition of things.
Ancient Society
Lewis Henry Morgan

Whether the wife forfeited her agnatic rights by her marriage, as among the Romans, I am unable to state.
Ancient Society
Lewis Henry Morgan

The importance they attached to the agnatic family is largely explained by their ideas of the future life.
The Private Life of the Romans
Harold Whetstone Johnston

This practical limitation of the inheritance to the nearest gentile kin discloses the germ of agnatic inheritance.
Ancient Society
Lewis Henry Morgan

As they understood it, the pater familis had absolute power over his children and other agnatic descendants.
The Private Life of the Romans
Harold Whetstone Johnston

The gens is to be found in Greek and Roman history, where it is known as the agnatic kindred.
The Iowa
William Harvey Miner

Here again it will be convenient to employ the Roman terms, agnatic and Cognatic relationship.
Ancient Law
Sir Henry James Sumner Maine

The former case offends against the principle of agnatic organisation, the latter against the cognatic.
The Heroic Age
H. Munro Chadwick

It shows that property was hereditary in the gens, but restricted to the agnatic kindred in the female line.
Ancient Society
Lewis Henry Morgan

Anagram

age ant
tea nag

Today’s quote

A man’s true wealth is the good he does in the world.

– Kahlil Gibran

On this day

23 November 534BC – Thespis of Icaria becomes the first recorded actor to portray a character on stage.

23 November 1859 – birth of William H. Bonney aka Billy ‘The Kid’. American outlaw. Legend has it that he killed 21 men, although historians believe it may have been between 4 and 9 men. He was shot dead by Sheriff Pat Garrett around 14 July 1881. Some conspiracy theorists believe that Bonney did not get shot that day, but that Garrett staged the shooting so that Billy ‘The Kid’ could escape.

23 November 1889 – the first jukebox commences operation at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco.

23 November 1963 – Dr Who premiers on BBC TV, starring William Hartnell. It has become the longest running science fiction series in the world.

23 November 1981 – US President Ronald Reagan signs the top secret National Security Directive 17 (NSDD-17), authorising the Central Intelligence Agency to recruit, train and support Contra rebels in Nicaragua, in order to wage guerilla warfare against the ruling leftist Sandanista regime. In 1982, the Boland Amendment was passed by Congress which banned US support of the Contras. The Reagan administration illegally continued funding the rebels. Part of the funding was obtained by illegally selling arms to Iran, which was the subject of an international arms boycott. The Reagan administration sold the arms in an effort to free seven US hostages being held by a group linked with Iran. The scandal became known as the Iran-Contra affair and was the subject of a Presidential Commission (the Tower Commission) as well as investigations by a number of Congressional Committees. As a result, a number of high ranking members of Reagan’s administration were indicted, including Caspar Weinberger (Secretary of Defence) – later pardoned by President H.W. Bush in 1991 before standing trial, William Casey (Head of the CIA), Robert C. MacFarlane (Assistant Secretary of State), Oliver North (National Security Council), Admiral John Poindexter, and numerous others. While Reagan knew of the operations, it was not definitively shown that he issued the orders.

22 November 2016

churlish

[chur-lish]

adjective

1. like a churl; boorish; rude:
churlish behavior.
2. of a churl; peasantlike.
3. niggardly; mean.
4. difficult to work or deal with, as soil.

Origin of churlish

Middle English, Old English

1000, before 1000; Middle English cherlish, Old English ceorlisc. See churl, -ish1

Related forms

churlishly, adverb
churlishness, noun
unchurlish, adjective
unchurlishly, adverb
unchurlishness, noun

Synonyms Expan

1. coarse, uncouth, vulgar, loutish; ill-natured, uncivil.

Antonyms

1. courteous.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for churlish

Contemporary Examples

Petraeus, the long-suffering hero of the Surge, now transcends all but the most churlish criticisms.
Confirmation: The Easy Part
Ken Allard
June 28, 2010

His churlish attack created a media storm that the Republican Party got dragged into and which has hurt the image of the party.
The Real Problem with Sandra Fluke (Hint: It has Nothing to Do with her Sex Life)
Noah Kristula-Green
March 5, 2012

This is the thin-skinned Gucci model Franco who hurls tweeted insults with the churlish gusto of Kanye West.
The James Franco Backlash
Chris Lee
March 22, 2011

Historical Examples

His is no churlish spirit to turn away from the good things kind Heaven has provided for man.
Count Ulrich of Lindburg
W.H.G. Kingston

It would have been churlish and inexpedient after this to insist on further conversation.
“Unto Caesar”
Baroness Emmuska Orczy

A finer weapon wherewith to strike at a churlish world was never given into the hands of man.
Lord Ormont and his Aminta, Complete
George Meredith

He became the laughing-stock of the pueblo, and grew brutal and churlish accordingly.
An Eagle Flight
Jos Rizal

You thought me churlish, Kate, in my answer to your proposal to spend last winter with me?
Atlantic Monthly, Volume 2, Issue 10, August, 1858
Various

A churlish remark of one who thinks his company is not wanted.
The Proverbs of Scotland
Alexander Hislop

The bard was a freeman born, a skilled weaver of courteous phrases, not a churlish taeog.
A Short History of Wales
Owen M. Edwards

Anagram

rich lush

Today’s quote

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.

– Aldous Huxley

On this day

22 November 1819 – birth of Mary Ann Evans. One of England’s greatest novelists, she published under the name ‘George Eliot’ in order to be taken seriously. Some of her novels include ‘Adam Bede’, ‘Mill on the Floss’, ‘Silas Marner’, and ‘Daniel Deronda’. Her novel, ‘Middlemarch’, was described as the greatest novel in the English language. Died 22 December 1880.

22 November 1906 – the use of the morse code signal ‘SOS’ is implemented as a global distress call. The SOS signal is three dots, three dashes and three dots

(· · · — — — · · ·)

22 November 1963 – assassination of John F. Kennedy. 35th president of the United States. Born 29 May 1917.

22 November 1963 – death of Aldous Huxley, English writer. Most famous for his vision of the future, ‘Brave New World’, as well as his work ‘The Doors of Perception’, based on his use of psychedelic drugs. Jim Morrison named his 60’s psychedelic rock band, ‘The Doors’ after Huxley’s book. Born 26 July 1894.

22 November 1963 – death of C.S. Lewis, Irish novelist, author of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and ‘The Screwtape Letters’. Born 29 November 1898.

22 November 1990 – UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher forced to resign by her own Cabinet who refused to endorse her as leader. She had come to power in 1979 and had become known as the ‘Iron Lady’. She is the longest-serving UK Prime Minister and the only female to hold the post. She fought numerous battles with unions over her economic and deregulation reforms. She introduced a ‘Community Charge’ or ‘Poll Tax’, which replaced rates with a flat-tax rate on every adult. It was extremely unpopular even within her own Cabinet and was a crucial catalyst for her disendorsement and subsequent resignation.

22 November 1993 – death of Anthony Burgess, English writer. Most famous for his dystopian novel, ‘The Clockwork Orange’, which Stanley Kubrick made into a controversial movie. Born 25 February 1917.

21 November 2016

exurb

[ek-serb, eg-zerb]

noun

1. a small, usually prosperous, community situated beyond the suburbs of a city.

Origin of exurb

1950-1955, Americanism; ex-1+ (sub)urb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for exurb

Contemporary Examples

Economically speaking, the Commonwealth of Virginia is rapidly becoming an exurb of the District of Columbia.
How the Sequester Will Harm Republican States
Daniel Gross
February 25, 2013

Word Origin and History for exurb Expand

n. “the outer, prosperous ring of the suburbs,” 1955, American English, from exurban (adj.), by 1838 (it seems to have arisen in the writings of the reform movement focused on getting cemeteries out of cities), from ex- + urban, on model of suburb. Related: Exurbanite ; exurbia.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Anagram

rub ex

Today’s quote

Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.

– Voltaire

On this day

21 November 164BC – Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family, restores the Temple in Jerusalem. This event is commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah.

21 November 1694 – birth of François-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire. French enlightment writer, historian and philosopher. A man of wit who advocated freedom of religion, freedom of expression and separation of church and state. Voltaire wrote more than 20,000 letters, 2,000 books and pamphlets. He criticised intolerance, religious dogma and social institutions. Died 30 May 1778.

21 November 1936 – birth of Victor Chang, a Chinese-Australian cardiac surgeon who pioneered heart transplants. Chang was shot dead on 4 July 1991, in a failed extortion attempt.

21 November 1965 – birth of Bjork (Björk Guðmundsdóttir), Icelandic singer-songwriter, producer and actress.

21 November 1986 – Oliver North, National Security Council staffer, begins shredding documents associated with the Iran-Contra debacle that could have implicated themselves and others within the Reagan administration in the illegal sale of arms to Iran in order to fund the rebel Nicaraguan Contras.